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The Fox-created show borrows the same lead actor, David Tennant, and a similar plot but, with 10 episodes instead of eight and a different ending, Global is hoping audiences will feel they’re watching something new.

Despite the gruesome murder at the centre of Twin Peaks, the role of plucky journalist went conspicuously unfilled. That oversight is corrected in Gracepoint, with Canadian actor Kevin Zegers taking on the role of news reporter Owen Burke.

Best known for the 2005 film Transamerica, Zegers has several TV series under his belt, including guest spots on Gossip Girl and the 2012 miniseries Titanic: Blood and Steel.

Zegers says his Gracepoint character was more concerned with catching the next big wave than catching a killer, but all that changes with the tragic death of Danny, a local 12-year-old.

“He’s very instrumental in digging up some things. There’s 10 people on the show who are in every episode, uncovering what everyone has, which are the deep, dark secrets nobody wants (others) to find out about them,” said Zegers, who was born in Woodstock, Ont., but now lives in Los Angeles.

“Because of the murder, people are delving into the parts of each other’s lives they never thought they would.”

His character is also the nephew of Det. Ellie Miller, played by Breaking Bad’s Anna Gunn, who won an Emmy for her portrayal of long-suffering wife Skyler White in 2013.

Other members of the star-studded cast include Tennant of Doctor Who fame; Academy Award nominee Nick Nolte; Michael Pena, who last starred in American Hustle; and Australian actress Jacki Weaver.

“It’s a testament to the script,” Zegers said. “Every episode of the script is just as suspenseful or even better than the last one.”

It’s written much like a capsule season, a formula perfected by smash hit True Detective, though with enough loose ends after 10 episodes to bring the characters back for a second season, Zegers said. But it’s still more like a cable show than a regular network drama. Perfect for binge-watching, he said.

“It’s 10 hours, but it’s kind of like a long movie. You don’t have the standard 22 hours needed to fill normal television. Invariably you end up with five or 10 OK episodes that are just getting by. We had a very finite story to tell,” he said.

“Event series” television that tells one story from beginning to end with a clear story arc is big this year, said Barbara Williams, senior vice-president of content for Shaw Media, which owns Global and held its upfront presentation Wednesday.

“Gracepoint is exactly that. It’s a whodunit, a murder mystery . . . I was a huge, huge, huge Broadchurch fan so I was really excited to see what they did with it,” Williams said. “I can tell you they did a fantastic translation of the show.”

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